1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a helmet for protecting the rider's head, and more particularly, to a mechanism for mounting the face shield to the helmet.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Riders of motor vehicles such as motorcycles and snowmobiles must wear protective helmets. Such protective helmets have an opening in the front of the helmet and a transparent face shield that is mounted to raise and lower over the opening. When the shield is lowered over the helmet opening, it protects the rider from debris, bugs and wind.
A conventional shield connector is structured as follows. Rotation members are formed at both side surfaces of the helmet, both ends of the shield are coupled to the helmet, an additional cover is provided thereon, and bolts are provided for fixation. At a lower inner portion of the shield, a rotation control member having upraised teeth is formed. The shield is assembled to the helmet in such a way that the rotation control member is caught by a catching member formed on the helmet. The shield can be opened or closed being assembled to the helmet.
One example of a prior art face shield mounting system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,329, which issued on Aug. 2, 1994 and is hereby incorporated by reference.
The face shield system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,329 was an improvement over the prior art at that time and has proven to be a very good system. However, experience has shown that further improvements can be made. In the design of the '329 patent, one end of the shield is assembled into one of the rotation members formed at both surfaces of the helmet while the other end of the shield is assembled into the other the rotation members formed at both surfaces of the helmet, and at such a state, bolts are fixed to the rotation members, to thereby install the shield. In addition, the shield is assembled to be movable up and down. However, up and down movement of the shield depends on the fixation condition of fixation mechanism. Further, if the fixation is not rigid, the shield may be detached from the helmet.